About the Value of Black Walnut Trees

The black walnut tree is a very valuable tree species. It has a number of uses, being highly prized for its wood and for the nuts that it produces. The black walnut is native to the eastern and midwestern parts of the United States, and was successfully grown in Europe where it has been established since the 1600s.

Identification

The black walnut usually can be found growing next to rivers from as far north as Ontario, Canada, all the way south to Georgia and northern portions of Florida. It ranges westward to the Dakotas and eastward to the coast. It is a large tree, sometimes growing as high as 150 feet on rare occasions and averaging between 100 and 130 feet. The furrowed bark is grayish-black and the nuts the black walnut produces are in a greenish-brown husk. They grow in clusters among the alternate leaves, ripening and finally falling to the ground in October.

Size

Hammons Products of Stockton, Missouri, is the nation's leading producer of black walnuts, purchasing as much as 36 million pounds yearly from a 16-state area. Harvesting walnuts is done by hand, with people picking them up from their own backyards and in fields wherever the tree grows. They then sell them to one of over 250 hulling stations where Hammons buys them and ships them to Missouri. Harvesters of these black walnuts earn around $13 for every 100 pounds they pick.

Types

Black walnuts need to have the husks removed first and then the nuts are dried and cleaned. They are crushed in special machines that have the ability to separate the shells from the kernels. The actual meat of the nut is sold and the shells are ground up and sold for such industrial purposes as abrasives for metal polish, ingredients in paints, cosmetics, explosives and other products.

Considerations

One of the most sought-after woods, the black walnut is used for building such things as cabinets, furniture, boats, floors, coffins and gunstocks. Black walnut wood is resistant to decay and is brown with purple streaks in it. The grain is straight and strong and it can be easily worked.

Warning

Black walnut trees have roots that produce a substance called juglone. It is known to kill plants, making the area underneath a black walnut hard to grow certain species in. As the tree grows this area increases in size. While not all plants have sensitivity to juglone, it is very bad for tomatoes, potatoes, azaleas, rhododendrons and apple trees. The pollen of the black walnut can cause allergic reactions in humans and horses, and horses can have adverse reactions to black walnut sawdust and chips utilized for bedding purposes.